BAD executive committee North West Representative John Newsham shares his experience of this role.

It was my Dermatology colleagues in Manchester who encouraged me to submit a nomination to become North West Regional Representative of the British Association of Dermatologists back in 2017, and I am grateful for their ‘nudge’. At the time, I was relatively near the start of my career as a Consultant and admit I felt a little daunted by the prospect of taking on the role if successful; although I was enthusiastic about what I might gain from the experience and what I might bring to the role. Thankfully I was successful and have to say I haven’t looked back. In fact, I have enjoyed it so much I agreed to a second term in office! I have now been the North West Regional Representative for the BAD since 2018, and will serve in the role until 2024.

I can say that my experience has been wholly positive. I have really valued being a voice for my colleagues in the North West region; helping signpost those who have needed support from the BAD and its various subgroups and raising key issues needing further thought and action from the BAD and the Executive team. I have also been able to share national developments and experience from other regions locally with my colleagues in the North West region and also within our department; often being invited to departmental meetings to offer a national perspective on local challenges.

What I wish I had known before:

The role itself turned out to be significantly less daunting than I had expected; the BAD team really are a welcoming bunch and I have always felt heard and valued as a member of the Executive and indeed as a trustee of the BAD as a charity.

I did have some concerns about how onerous the position might be in terms of workload and, whilst undoubtedly needing a level of commitment and time, I have not felt overwhelmed in fitting the role around my busy, full-time NHS job. The BAD administrative team are more than accommodating and supportive when setting realistic deadlines for reports.

Whilst I was apprehensive at taking on the role at what I felt was a relatively early stage in my career, I quickly found out that it was really the best time, certainly for me; helping me expand my leadership abilities and develop new skills beyond those of my day job.

So, what are you likely to gain as a BAD regional representative?

Knowledge. As a regional representative you really have an ‘ear to the ground’ on regional and national issues and develop a much greater understanding of the structure and function of the BAD; you can use this to help your own and your regional departments achieve success and overcome challenges.
Insight. You network with colleagues from across your region and with other regional representatives from across the UK; providing a unique insight on how others are delivering services and taking key information back to your own and regional departments.
Engagement. You are a trustee and voting member of the executive and as a vital member of the committee and representative of your regional members, your voice really does matter. Regional issues often take up the bulk of executive meetings and influence much of the work of the BAD.
Leadership. You will contribute to the strategic development of an organisation that has over 4,000 members. Officers, regional representatives and wider stakeholders work collaboratively, including at annual strategy days, to help set the direction of the work of the BAD and respond to key challenges facing our specialty.

My regional representative role has also led to other opportunities at the BAD. For example, being invited to share our team achievements in growing our successful Salford Dermatology at Stockport service at the first ‘Survival Guide for New Consultants’ course and again further in the ‘Delivering care and training a sustainable multi-specialty and multi-professional workforce’ BAD publication in 2019.

I hope sharing my personal experience of being a regional representative has been a valuable insight and a snapshot of what you might hope to gain from the role.I would strongly encourage you to put yourself forwards. If successful, you will become a key member of the BAD Executive team and be making an important contribution to British dermatology.

The British Association of Dermatologists has a range of both elected and nominated positions. To find out more and view the open roles, visit: https://www.bad.org.uk/about-the-bad/bad-elections/